Subarna Ghosh is a pioneering educator who founded Nalini Vidya Mandir in 1995, a fully residential high school for tribal girls in Rayagada, Odisha. Naming the school after her mother, she built it at a time when few recognised the potential of indigenous girls, creating a unique model that combines mainstream education with respect for cultural roots.​

​Over the past three decades, Nalini Vidya Mandir has provided free schooling, safe accommodation, nutritious food, and holistic development to more than 300 Dongria Kondh girls from Class I to X. Remarkably, the school has never recorded a single dropout, a testament to her vision, perseverance, and unwavering commitment.​

Her impact extends across generations: students of Nalini Vidya Mandir have gone on to become nurses, social workers, IT professionals, teachers, and community leaders — breaking cycles of exclusion and shaping stronger futures for themselves and their communities.

Through courage, compassion, and lifelong dedication, Subarna Ghosh has transformed the landscape of tribal education, proving that opportunity and belief can change lives for generations.